One of the most impactful experiences I've had was both personal and academic. During Spring semester of my junior year in college, my best friend, Janice, came to visit me in Connecticut. On her way home to Rhode Island, she got in a car accident, flipped her car, and broke her neck. She was hospitalized at Yale New Haven Hospital for the month of April, during which time I spent every day at the hospital with her. From there she was transferred to Spaulding in Boston for three additional months. While she was there, I was only able to visit about once a week, but sent her cards in the mail every single day. Though it's been 14 months since her accident, the emotional toll that it had on me was significant, not to mention the toll it's had on her and her family. She is paralyzed from the chest down and does not have triceps function or function in her hands. Clearly this was a very personal experience for me to go through. However, it also had a great impact on me academically. Because her accident was April 1st, there still was six weeks left in the semester. I was enrolled in two education courses, two math courses, and a logic course. To say that school was not in my top priorities during this time would be an understatement. It was the furthest thing from my mind! I got in touch with all my professors to let them know the situation and requested incomplete's in all of my classes so that I could focus all my attention on Janice. My professors were very understanding and readily accepted my request to finish the remaining work during the summer.
Unfortunately, this experience was more taxing on me than I had expected. I had no problem completing the work for my education courses or the logic course. The two math courses were a different story though. Every time I would sit down to try to work on them, all I could do was cry, probably because I was just so emotionally drained that I didn't know what else to do but cry. I tried every week to plug away at them, but trying to teach myself Calculus IV and Abstract Algebra was much more difficult than I anticipated. My Abstract Algebra professor had foreseen this happening and suggested getting a medical withdraw from the course so I wouldn't be penalized for it, but would have to retake it. My Calculus professor was willing to work with me so I didn't have to retake the course. He requested from the registrar that my incomplete be extended beyond the typical six weeks and into the next Spring semester so I could sit in when the class was offered again and just continue where I left off. While both of these accommodations were extremely generous, it did not make my work load any easier. Because Calculus IV was only offered in the Spring and Calculus V was offered in the Fall, I had to take Calculus V before I had finished Calculus IV. The more difficult aspect of this, however, was the Spring semester of my senior year. The reason for this was because Abstract Algebra and Calculus IV were only offered in the Spring, so I had to take both of those classes along with the Math Senior Seminar, Statistics and Probability II, and another University required course. This was a near impossible course load because Calculus IV and Abstract Algebra are considered to be the two most difficult math courses, and no other student who was a math major took more than two of these courses a semester. However, I had no other choice if I wanted to graduate on time. I also could not continue in the MAT program that I started my junior year because I didn't have room in my schedule for the education courses anymore.
Despite all that happened, I was determined to graduate with my class, so I put in the time and effort and did what I needed to do. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA in Mathematics and am extremely proud of myself for that because 7 months after Janice's accident, my other best friend died of an overdose. Needless to say, I didn't have the easiest couple of years, but what I really took away from all that happened was that teachers are human. They aren't scary, miserable people that want to see their students fail. Teachers want their students to succeed, and the best teachers take the time to make sure that they do. I am so grateful to my professors for making accommodations for me when I needed them. I had always felt that asking for help was considered a weakness and a crutch, but with Janice's accident and Neil's death, I didn't know what else to do other than ask for help. It was the best thing for me, and it taught me something that I don't think I would have learned otherwise. In High School I had a few issues here and there when I needed to ask for an extension during my parents divorce or when I had difficult days, but that was nothing compared to what my professors did for me. These experiences not only changed who I am as a person, but they also changed who I will be as a teacher. I now know how important it is for a teacher to understand that when traumatic experiences happen, sometimes you have to given students a break. Knowing that my professors were on my side and rooting for me was a major factor in why I succeeded. As a teacher, I will always try to be my students' biggest cheerleader. I want them to know that I care about them as individuals and will be willing to help them in any way that I can. I will be sure to establish a sense of trust and respect so that they will feel safe coming to me for help if they need it. I spent too many days in classes afraid of my teacher and what s/he would think of me if I needed an extension or extra help. I don't want any of my students to ever feel that way in one of my classes. Life hands out difficult lessons to learn, and while this was by far the hardest thing I've had to go through, it was not a wasted experience. I learned so much from it, and I'm determined to become a better person from it.
College Influence
One of the most impactful experiences I've had was both personal and academic. During Spring semester of my junior year in college, my best friend, Janice, came to visit me in Connecticut. On her way home to Rhode Island, she got in a car accident, flipped her car, and broke her neck. She was hospitalized at Yale New Haven Hospital for the month of April, during which time I spent every day at the hospital with her. From there she was transferred to Spaulding in Boston for three additional months. While she was there, I was only able to visit about once a week, but sent her cards in the mail every single day. Though it's been 14 months since her accident, the emotional toll that it had on me was significant, not to mention the toll it's had on her and her family. She is paralyzed from the chest down and does not have triceps function or function in her hands. Clearly this was a very personal experience for me to go through. However, it also had a great impact on me academically. Because her accident was April 1st, there still was six weeks left in the semester. I was enrolled in two education courses, two math courses, and a logic course. To say that school was not in my top priorities during this time would be an understatement. It was the furthest thing from my mind! I got in touch with all my professors to let them know the situation and requested incomplete's in all of my classes so that I could focus all my attention on Janice. My professors were very understanding and readily accepted my request to finish the remaining work during the summer.
Unfortunately, this experience was more taxing on me than I had expected. I had no problem completing the work for my education courses or the logic course. The two math courses were a different story though. Every time I would sit down to try to work on them, all I could do was cry, probably because I was just so emotionally drained that I didn't know what else to do but cry. I tried every week to plug away at them, but trying to teach myself Calculus IV and Abstract Algebra was much more difficult than I anticipated. My Abstract Algebra professor had foreseen this happening and suggested getting a medical withdraw from the course so I wouldn't be penalized for it, but would have to retake it. My Calculus professor was willing to work with me so I didn't have to retake the course. He requested from the registrar that my incomplete be extended beyond the typical six weeks and into the next Spring semester so I could sit in when the class was offered again and just continue where I left off. While both of these accommodations were extremely generous, it did not make my work load any easier. Because Calculus IV was only offered in the Spring and Calculus V was offered in the Fall, I had to take Calculus V before I had finished Calculus IV. The more difficult aspect of this, however, was the Spring semester of my senior year. The reason for this was because Abstract Algebra and Calculus IV were only offered in the Spring, so I had to take both of those classes along with the Math Senior Seminar, Statistics and Probability II, and another University required course. This was a near impossible course load because Calculus IV and Abstract Algebra are considered to be the two most difficult math courses, and no other student who was a math major took more than two of these courses a semester. However, I had no other choice if I wanted to graduate on time. I also could not continue in the MAT program that I started my junior year because I didn't have room in my schedule for the education courses anymore.
Despite all that happened, I was determined to graduate with my class, so I put in the time and effort and did what I needed to do. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA in Mathematics and am extremely proud of myself for that because 7 months after Janice's accident, my other best friend died of an overdose. Needless to say, I didn't have the easiest couple of years, but what I really took away from all that happened was that teachers are human. They aren't scary, miserable people that want to see their students fail. Teachers want their students to succeed, and the best teachers take the time to make sure that they do. I am so grateful to my professors for making accommodations for me when I needed them. I had always felt that asking for help was considered a weakness and a crutch, but with Janice's accident and Neil's death, I didn't know what else to do other than ask for help. It was the best thing for me, and it taught me something that I don't think I would have learned otherwise. In High School I had a few issues here and there when I needed to ask for an extension during my parents divorce or when I had difficult days, but that was nothing compared to what my professors did for me. These experiences not only changed who I am as a person, but they also changed who I will be as a teacher. I now know how important it is for a teacher to understand that when traumatic experiences happen, sometimes you have to given students a break. Knowing that my professors were on my side and rooting for me was a major factor in why I succeeded. As a teacher, I will always try to be my students' biggest cheerleader. I want them to know that I care about them as individuals and will be willing to help them in any way that I can. I will be sure to establish a sense of trust and respect so that they will feel safe coming to me for help if they need it. I spent too many days in classes afraid of my teacher and what s/he would think of me if I needed an extension or extra help. I don't want any of my students to ever feel that way in one of my classes. Life hands out difficult lessons to learn, and while this was by far the hardest thing I've had to go through, it was not a wasted experience. I learned so much from it, and I'm determined to become a better person from it.
Katrina's Personal Profile